Just Max
by soccerislife14
Summary: Maximum Ride has always been the tough girl. The strong, invincible Max. But can Max and the Flock protect themselves from the new swarm of Itex creatures with their new powers? Will Max finally be the one needing to be saved? Possible Fax.
1. Paranoia

**Author's Note: This is my first fan fiction, and this is about an idea that I was sort of playing around with. So, ****please**** give me some feedback. I'll go ahead and post the second chapter when I'm finished writing it. **

**Disclaimer:**** I do not own Maximum Ride or any of its characters. James Patterson is the only one capable of that kind of genius. **

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My eyes were exhausted as they flew open restlessly for about the 50th time tonight. I had first watch, and was trying my best not to fall asleep. Groaning internally, I tried to rearrange myself into a more comfortable position. Not a very easy thing to do, when you're sleeping in a tree. Fortunately, I'd had more than enough experience with being at tall heights. This seventy foot tree was nothing compared to some of heights I'd been at.

I left one leg dangling off the edge of my branch, and made a make-shift pillow out of my arms. My wings were folded gracefully against my back, and they, plus my classic bulky windbreaker, made me much more comfortable.

After taking a 360 around our area, I simply raised my eyes and stared at the sky. Why couldn't I shake off my paranoia? My body was torn – My eyes were telling me to go to sleep, but my instincts were telling me that something was out of place. Frowning, I sat up and looked around.

My flock was sleeping in branches near me, looking much more relaxed than I felt.

Iggy, tall and lanky, was leaned against the tree trunk, with his legs lying on an unusually wide branch. His strawberry blonde hair looked almost white in the clear moonlight, and he was lightly snoring. I smiled when I saw Total on Iggy's lap, muttering in his sleep. His small black legs were moving a little, as though he was running in his dream. _Wonder what he's dreaming about? _I thought. But then my silent questions were answered when he muttered a little loudly, "Not the dog food…Please…Not generic…"

I rolled my eyes and looked at Angel, who was on a branch right below them. She looked…well…angelic. Her curly blonde hair was all around her face, and she was smiling a little in her sleep. She didn't have a jacket on, so he pure white wings stood out against the night.

Cuddled beside Angel was Nudge, who's mouth was, for once, quiet. It was a nice change. But, Lord knows as soon as the sun comes up, it'll be the Nudge Channel once again: All Nudge, all the time. Her mouth was slightly open, even in her sleep, but she looked peaceful.

I looked at Gazzy, who was curled up in a large whole made by long ago lightning. You could see the caked on dirt on his face. I really needed to get those kids into a shower, soon. He looked a lot younger when he slept, more innocent, I thought. I then remembered his secret stash of explosives and thought otherwise.

Then Fang. His olive skin and dark hair blended almost invisibly into the night, and his raven black wings were slightly open, keeping him balanced on his branch. He was sleeping, and his breathing was even, but he looked a little tense, which I could understand. It was hard for any of us to put our guard down, even while sleeping. My little genetically enhanced heart did jumps every time I gave him some time in my thoughts. I tried to shut them down. I was a little too confused in that particular department to think about me and Fang right now.

I sighed, and settled back into my branch. I still couldn't shake off that paranoid feeling. Something was wrong, something was here that was out of place. But _what?_

The back of my neck prickled, and I was instantly aware that I was being watched. I did another 360, taking in the Arizona State Park that we were sleeping in more in detail. But – nothing was there.

_Oh-kay. This is strange. _I thought. My instincts were normally something that I could trust.

Then, I heard a branch snap somewhere in the distance. My eyes narrowed, and my head snapped around in the direction of the noise. I strained my ears to hear anything else, but everything was silent.

Now, what could be out there? I judged the possibilities:

- Stray hikers (of course. This _is_ a state park. But unlikely at 11:30 at night)

- Forest ranger

- An animal (s)

- Or...something else.

Or, of course, I could be blowing this way out of proportion, and if I were to go investigate, I'd be simply giving a deer or an elk an unnecessary heart attack.

But I didn't think I was wrong.

I started when my strained ears heard a deep, aware voice say, "You okay?"

Oh. I hadn't realized that I was about ready to fall out of the tree. I'd been too busy trying to decide if my years of paranoia were catching up to me.

My heart was having butterflies again. I looked up at Fang and said softly, "Yeah. Just thought I heard something."

Fang's dark eyes searched in the direction that I had been studying, and, after a while, said, "It was probably just a deer or something."

I made one of my famous split-second decisions.

"I'm going to go down and check it out. I just have a feeling that someone's been watching us."

"I'll come with you." Fang volunteered, already out of his sleepiness.

Normally, I would have loved some back-up. But I didn't want to make a big deal out of this, and then it all be over nothing. I probably just heard a deer, like Fang said.

"No," I whispered back, "Stay with the flock. It'll just take a sec."

Fang looked a little tense as I quietly flipped out my pretty, tan, 14-foot wings, and quickly flew down to the bottom of the forest.

Sneaking through the thick trees, I listened for anything unusual. I stopped dead when I heard footsteps getting closer to where I stood. Then a – whaddaya know – _deer, _ran across my path.

My eyes followed where the animal had ran, and then I rolled my eyes and relaxed. Yes, the paranoia was getting to me. Shaking my head, I turned around –

Only to have a pair of strong hands form manacles around my arms, and clap a hand over my mouth.

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**Did you like it? Tell me what you think, by clicking on that oh-so-pretty review button at the bottom of your screen. **


	2. Headaches

**Here's chapter two. This one isn't as long, but please, read and give some feedback. I'm not going to post Chapter Three until I get at least 5 reviews!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Maximum Ride, or any of it's characters. That's J.P.**

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My brown eyes widened in surprise, and my pure survival instincts took over me as I tried to release myself from my unknown attackers grasp. My blonde hair thrashed around my face as I threw my elbow back towards someone's ribcage. I heard a satisfyingly loud "_Oof!"_ as someone's air was knocked out of them.

However, the hands merely tightened around me. I tried to shout out, but my scream was muffled by the large hand covering my mouth.

_Break free!_ I thought wildly. Who was this? I knew that these were not erasers, due to the lack of furriness. Did I have a new enemy?

Well, I really didn't want to stick around to find out.

My attacker seemed almost immune to all of my struggles. Did they even have pain receptors? If this were a regular human, I would have had them on the ground, writhing in pain in seconds. But this person was fighting just as hard as I was, and somehow I was getting all the pain.

Now, get this: the person was picking me up, while walking further into the dark woods. Could the flock hear me? I doubted it. I was already nearly 100 yards away from them. But maybe if I screamed loudly enough…

Thinking fast, I fell limp and closed my eyes. If I could make them let their guard down for just a moment, maybe I could scream through the hand over my mouth…

My prayers were answered. My attacker paused and cursed under his breath. "What the - "

But I was already breaking out of his loosening grasp and throwing a perfectly aimed roundhouse kick at his head. With a sickening _crack, _he fell to the ground, unconscious.

So, I guess their skull was their weak point. I put that info away for later. I shouted out, "Fang! Help! Move, move, move!"

In about six seconds, I heard the sound of nearly silent sound of Fang flying hurriedly toward me.

While I tried to take a breathing down to a regular pace, I really got a look at my attacker.

He was a guy, in about his late teens, early twenties. He didn't _look _that muscular, but man, looks were deceiving. His tawny hair was kind of overgrown, for a guy, and he had tan skin and freckles. He didn't _look _evil. If I wasn't a freakishly paranoid tomboy genetic hybrid, I might've thought that he was kind of nice looking. But I knew all too well that looks meant absolutely nothing when it came to enemies.

Fang arrived just then, his dark wings the only sound in the night. His eyes flew first to the guy laying unconscious on the ground, then to me, panting, leaning over with my hands on my knees.

"Wow. Max, you okay?" He sounded anxious.

"I'm fine," I gasped out. Then I winced as a sharp pain went through my cheek.

He walked over to me, examining my face. It felt like mush, but my arms felt worse. I was going to have so many bruises; That Tawny-guy's arms were just so freakin' _strong. _

Still looking a little concerned for me, his eyes went back to Tawny-guy. "Itex?"

I walked and knelt down, wincing, next to the guy, and searched his pockets. Fang put his hand on my back, and leaned over my shoulder as I searched. In a wallet was an I.D. for a Mr. Julian Sexton. Then there was a work card. My eyes flashed to the logo in the middle.

I nodded. "Itex."

Fang's usually unreadable face looked tense, and so did mine. Itex knew where we were. They had nearly gotten me. We had to get out of here, quickly. This guy may have a tracker on him, and more of them would come…

I looked up into Fang's eyes, and held back a wince. Was there a part of body that wasn't bruised? However, he saw through it.

"Let's go back to the flock," He said while gently pulling me back up. "No offense, but you look like crap." I scowled at him.

"That guy was not normal, Fang. You should have seen him – I was wailing on him, and he barely even flinched! He only got hurt when I kicked him on his head." We hardly ever met anyone that could actually beat us – besides erasers. But this guy looked nothing like them. He lacked the fur and fangs and paws.

"Do you think that it's a new hybrid?" He asked as he led me back through the woods.

"Maybe. With, like, a rabid bear."

Fang chuckled, as only Fang can chuckle.

Then, I shakily ran ahead, and lifted my sore wings out, and went into the air. Fang followed suit. We were about 2 or 3 minutes away from the still sleeping flock.

"So what do you think - " I began. But then there was a stunning pain behind my eyes, and I cried out loudly.

I heard Fang shouting my name, but I was falling, falling…

Then, strong arms were around me, pulling me out of my sharp freefall. I cracked open my eyes a slit, the pain still stunning. Fang looked a little scared, and way concerned.

"Just…a headache…." I muttered incoherently.

Then, everything went black.

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**So, there was chapter two. Did you like it? Was it confusing? Tell me what you think by pressing that oh-so-pretty review button at the bottom of your screen. Remember, no chapter three until I get at least 5 reviews!**


	3. Waking Up

**So, here's chapter three. I know that I didn't get 5 reviews, but we had a snow day, today, and It was either: post my new chapter, or watch Aladdin with my little sister and watch my mom play Chicktionary. So...as appealing as the other things sounded…I decided to post! **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Maximum Ride, or any of it's characters. Only James Patterson is capable of that kind of genius. **

**And, thankyou for the two people that have reviewed my past chapters already: Vallis and Littlelady. It really means a lot to me.**

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I awoke to loud voices around me, and a sensation of flying through the air. The air was fresh, and the bright sunlight shone through my closed eyelids.

I was instantly aware that I was being held. Strong, yet gentle arms were carrying me through the air, cradled to someone's chest. Fang. I was instantly embarrassed. Why was he carrying me? Why were we…Oh. Then I remembered my dilapidating headache from earlier, and it all made sense. Fang had caught me, brought me back to the flock…

"Do you think she's okay? It's been a day, Fang, maybe she's in a coma. Do you think she's in a coma? That would really stink, I hear that you can sleep practically _forever _in those. What if - ?" I heard Nudge's concerned voice seep in through my consciousness. I shook my head infinitesimally. The Nudge Channel was back.

But then I was horrified. I was out for a day? That was longer than I'd ever been out for. What kind of headache was that? Jeez, it had hurt…

_Pain is unavoidable, Max. Sometimes you have to face it head on._

I felt like groaning. _Hello, voice. Long time, no annoy._

Though the voice hardly showed any emotion, I may have just imagined the _tsk- _ing sound that followed.

_So why did I pass out all of a sudden? _I thought.

_You're probably going to just find out on your own. _

I really did groan out loud this time. "Max?" Fang said softly. But I couldn't answer him right now. I was too busy being enraged at my Pessimistic Voice.

_I'm not pessimistic. I'm truthful._

Oh, god. I felt like rolling my eyes. _Just tell me why my brain randomly felt like it exploded, dang it! Save the fortune cookie crap for later!_

_You're developing a new skill, Max. _

That was interesting news. _What kind of skill?_

_You'll see._

Ugh. Don't you hate it when that little voice inside of your head never answers a direct freaking question? I know I do.

My head was still throbbing, slightly. But I could deal. I'd had worse. I blinked open my eyes to see Fang's face slightly bent over mine. My heart did little jumps when I realized that he was close enough to kiss me. He looked relieved when he saw me awake.

"You're finally up," He said calmly, but I could detect the undercurrent of relief in his voice. I had scared them. I wouldn't do that ever again.

The rest of the flock started talking at once, and hovered closer to us, asking if I was okay and what happened. I had to raise my voice a little to be heard. "Guys, I'm okay, I promise. It was just another one of those headaches."

"But why did you pass out? For a _day? _You made Sleeping Beauty look hyper in comparison," Iggy said.

"Well…I don't know why I was out for so long. The voice says that I'm developing a new skill," I confessed. The flock was silent for a moment while they processed this. I was still _so _embarrassed. I wasn't unaware of Fangs arms still holding me, either.

"Here…," I muttered, and tried to release myself from Fang and fly on my own. He merely tightened his grip on me.

"Are you sure you're ready to fly on your own?" He asked, the most touching concern in his voice.

My chin rose up, and I looked him square in the eye. "I'm perfectly able to fly on my own, thank you." I'm nothing if not stubborn. Most people would relish in the fact that they were being held by a…cough…nice looking guy, like Fang….cough….but I hate, hate, hate being the damsel in distress in a situation.

He rolled his eyes and let me out of his grasp. He knew that I hated feeling weak. I flung my wings out and caught the wind. I was slightly wobbly, but held my own. Fang grinned a little, lighting up our immediate area. I gave the rest of my flock a reassuring smile, and we were on our way out of Arizona.

**So, did you like it? Hate it? Somewhat-like-it-but-think-it-could-be-better? Tell me what you think by pressing that oh so pretty review button at the bottom of your screen. I'm serious, this time: No new chapter until I get at least 5 reviews. **

**P.S. I'm suffering a bit of writers block with chapter four. What kind of skill do you all think that Max should develop? Tell me what you think. **

**-Soccerislife14**


	4. Powers

**Without further adieu, here is chapter four. A big thanks to everyone who has read and reviewed, it really means a lot to me.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Maximum Ride or any of its characters. Only James Patterson is capable of that kind of genius.**

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"_Please, _Max? Pretty please?" Gazzy asked me. It had been like that for the last thirty minutes. We were flying right over the Arizona-California border, and we had just seen the ocean. Of course, the younger kids wanted to go see the ocean.

I sighed. I had had some completely awful times at the beach, and some really awesome times at the beach. "I'm just not sure if that's the best thing to do right now, Gazzy. Don't you think we should get farther away from where Itex found us?"

Little Gasman didn't really think that we were in that much danger. "C'mon, Max, we're _hours _away from where that guy found you. It couldn't hurt. _Please?_"

He did sort of have a point. It was just turning sunset, so we were going to have to find a place to crash for the night, anyway. I knew that I was going to be outvoted.

I looked around at my flock, who were flying around me. The younger kids looked pretty exhausted. They deserved to have a little fun, anyway. Being on the run had taken its toll on their hygiene, too. Maybe we could wash off in the ocean.

I called out, "Hey, who's up for a little beach trip?"

The younger kids cheered and looked ecstatic. Iggy grinned and punched the air, and Fang even looked a little brighter.

Twenty minutes later, we were landing on a perfectly white and empty strip of California beach. The water looked a deep blue, clear color, and the sun was just starting to set on the horizon. It looked freakin' awesome, if I do say so myself. The sky looked almost purple, the pink blending with the blue.

"Okay, you guys, go wash off a bit in the ocean. Your dirt tans are looking colored onto your skin." I said. I reached around in my backpack and found a bar of soap, and gave it to Iggy first, who led the younger kids out to where the water met the shore. Fang and I followed behind them.

After we had all washed our faces and arms, we all split off to do different things. Iggy and the Gasman went a little ways down the beach, and had a multitude of wires and clocks out, talking in whispers. I had a feeling that their bomb supply was about to become much larger.

Nudge and Angel were playing in the water close beside them, occasionally splashing salt water at Total, who was debating whether to go swimming.

Fang, meanwhile, was typing away on his blog, sometimes doing 360's around our area.

I watched the rest of my flock, absentmindedly rubbing my somewhat healing bruises on my arms. Then, I sat down close to the water's edge, and thought.

What _was _that Tawny-guy? He had looked absolutely normal, but had the muscle mass of…someone unhuman. I know, my deducing abilities surprise even me sometimes.

But, what if…? What if he had been an eraser? What if they didn't have to morph into wolf forms anymore, and simply stayed human, but with all the wolf strength? But that was crazy…

_Is it, Max? Wouldn't it be easier for them to track you if they simply blended in with society? _My voice chimed in.

_Are you saying that I'm right? That that guy really _was _an eraser? _I thought skeptically.

Of course, to my annoyance, my voice never –

_Yes, Max. What you saw was an eraser, version 2.3. _

Oh, my gosh. This took me by surprise, which actually takes a lot to do. My eyes opened wide in shock. Strong, normal looking, deadly, lethal erasers. Erasers that could easily sneak up on us without a seconds notice. Crap.

_Not without a seconds, notice, Max. You'll have a heads up._

_What do you mean? _I thought. Did he mean Angel? Could she be able to read their minds?

_Angel won't be the one to know, Max. It'll be you._

_WHAT? I didn't have a power to know that, I didn't – _I began, but the voice cut across me.

_Yes, you do, Max. You have a power that is just developing. _

_What do you – _I started to think back, but then I gasped. Behind my eyes, I saw a dim vision. A vision of a beautiful woman walking on to a beach, not unlike the one we were on now, and aiming a gun at a blonde head that looked so much like my own.

I whirled around, just in time, and saw a gun bullet whiz by within centimeters of my head.

_You have the power of predicting attacks, Max. _

**So, did you like it? Hate it? Think it could be better? Tell me what you think by pressing that oh-so-pretty review button at the bottom of your screen.**

**P.S. After a lot of thinking, I decided on Max's power. Do you think it's okay? Don't worry, I'll go into more detail of it in the next chapter. **

**P.P.S. I won't post chapter 5 until I get at least 10 reviews. And after I find the time to actually write it! Ha**

**Thanks for your time,**

**-Soccerislife14**


	5. Desiree

**Duh-duh-dum. Here's chapter five, complete with Max's new skill. I hope you like it – this one took me some time to write. I'm not very good at fight scenes.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Maximum Ride or any of its characters. Only James Patterson is capable of that genius.**

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_This may come in handy. _I thought. But, there was no time for Voice conversations at the moment. Because, right now, there was a woman aiming a gun right at my forehead, so that was taking up all of my attention.

All of my flock had jumped into action as soon as they heard the gunshot. They were up on their feet in an instant, staring from the woman with the raised gun, and me tense and laying on the ground.

My mind was racing. _Voice? A little help, please? _

_Use your new skill, Maximum._

And then, easy as breathing, a new vision clouded my eyes. In approximately 4.3 seconds, this dark haired and fair skinned woman was going to pull the trigger.

Coming back to reality, I immediately whipped my wings out and feinted to my right, then ran left. Not 3 seconds had passed. Then, another bullet shot dangerously close to my face.

_Angel, _I thought, _get everyone out of here! I can take it from there._

Angel was surprised, but agreed. She sent the message to everyone telepathically, and they did an up and away.

"Who are you?" I yelled as I feinted and dodged her attacks a split second before they happened.

The beautiful woman looked furious at my success, and aimed even more carefully as she said, "I am Desiree. You are going to be destroyed." Her voice was perfectly normal, like a human, but it was emotionless.

"_Really _now? I don't think so," I snarled back. Then, as I was getting closer and closer to her, feinting and dodging all the while, I got another vision: A bomb, falling from the sky, and landing on Desiree. I looked up immediately, and saw Iggy yelling down to me, "Heads up, Max!" and dropping a small grenade.

Without wasting a moment, I turned my back on Desiree and sprinted away from her as fast as my super-avian-hybrid speed would allow. But not before a vision of myself getting shot by a bullet in the arm.

Even after ducking, I felt the bullet's sting graze painfully into the back of my arm. Knowing I had only seconds, I dropped down onto my knees and covered my head. Then –

_BOOM!!_

A momentous string of fire blazed behind me, missing me by mere feet. The sonic blast popped my eardrums, and bits of sand pelted my legs. Then, after about 15 more seconds, everything was silent except for the faint crackling of leftover fire.

My arm stinging, I stood up and examined the damage.

There was a crater, nearly 3 foot deep and 15 foot wide where Desiree had stood just under 30 seconds ago. The crater ended about 5 foot away from where I stood. Desiree was no where to be found. I shuddered. That had been close.

Then, I was being crushed into a huge bear-hug by Nudge, Angel, and Gazzy.

"Max!" Nudged sobbed into my jacket. I put my arms around all of them, and ssh-ed her.

"I'm okay, sweetie, everything's okay," I whispered. Angel had tear streaks running down her cheeks, and Gazzy was shaking. I hugged them all tight.

Iggy flew down, followed closely by Fang.

"Great idea, Iggy," I grinned. I held my hand up for a high five, and he slapped it, grinning. "Way to be!"

Normal 14 year old girls may have been a little shaken by nearly being killed, and narrowly being hit by a bomb. But I, being the huge tomboy that I am, was impressed with Iggy's quick thinking.

"That was _huge,_" He said admiringly. "I'd give it an easy ten, for sonic blast alone."

The younger kids calmed down a bit, and I released them.

"Seriously, guys, I'm perfectly fine. My arm only got grazed by a bullet. It's nothing serious," I reassured them.

Fang grinned and gave me a high five, and kept his hand held up to mine as he asked, "But how did you dodge all of those bullets? It was like you knew what she was going to do a split second before you did it."

"It was so cool. I sort of got this vision in my head of what she was going to do about 5 seconds before-hand, so I knew how to dodge it. The Voice says that it's my new skill."

Iggy whistled, impressed. Nudge and Angel grinned. Gazzy was smiling pretty big, too.

"It's like you're getting precognitions," Fang said.

"The Voice said that I only have the power of predicting attacks," I corrected him. "It might not be the awesomest power, but I'm sure not complaining. I'd be suffering from a gunshot wound in the head right now if I didn't have it."

Total huffed. "Why does _everyone _get a cool power but me?"

**So did you like it? Hate it? Think I need to work on my fight scenes? Tell me what you think by clicking on that oh-so-pretty review button at the bottom of your screen.**

**P.S. Thank you to all of you that have reviewed chapters 1-4 so far! This chapter is dedicated to you: Twilighteer1211, sparkleglitz01, Silken-Winged-Angel, Sparxflame, little lady, and Vallis. Thank you so very much. You don't know how much your reviews mean to me. **

**P.P.S. No chapter six until I get at least 14 reviews. C'mon, you guys, I already have it half-way-written, and I'm thinking of putting in some Fax…**

**Thanks for taking the time to read this!**

**-Soccerislife14**


	6. Heartbeat

**I am possibly one of the world's worst pushovers. I just had to get this chapter written – it was calling me. I had to finish it. And now I went ahead and posted it, because I wanted you all to see it **_**so **_**bad. And, if I do not get at least 14 reviews, I will not be so lenient next time. Seriously, It took forever to write this chapter.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Maximum Ride or any of it's characters. Only James Patterson is capable of that kind of genius.**

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Then, we were on our way north, away from the beach. I told them what the Voice had told me about the new versions of erasers earlier, and told them how Angel wouldn't be able to read their minds. Angel was surprised.

Then, we crashed for the night in Palm Springs, sleeping in trees again. The flock fell asleep quickly, but I stayed awake, thinking about my new power and the day's events. Then, I really looked at my arm.

It wasn't a pretty sight.

The bruises that Tawny-guy had given me days ago were barely starting to heal, and still ached. There was a long, deep cut from where the bullet had grazed me. Saying that it was nothing earlier had been an understatement, just to calm the younger kids down. It hurt almost as much as it had when I had tried to cut out my chip on my own, on the beach months ago. Blood was still oozing out of it slightly. I touched the cut lightly.

Then I winced loudly. It hurt like crap. I was going to have to clean it and bandage it at some point. I figured that I might as well do it now, while everyone was sleeping. I grabbed some antiseptic and a bandage out of my backpack and started to clean it. The pain brought embarrassing tears to my eyes.

Then, out of the darkness, Fang was suddenly in front of me.

"_Jeez,_ Fang, don't do that," I muttered. The corners of his mouth tugged up slightly, but he didn't laugh.

I remembered that I had tears in my eyes. I reached up to quickly wipe them off, my cheeks burning.

"That looks bad," He said, looking toward my wound.

"It's not that bad," I lied. He rolled his eyes, seeing right through me.

"If it's not that bad, then why were you crying just now?"

Drat. He'd saw me.

I just looked down and kept on cleaning my cut, not saying anything. When I was ready to bandage it up, I searched for the bandages that I'd lay beside me, and couldn't find them.

Then, I looked up at Fang and saw that he already had them in his hand. He leaned forward started wrapping up my cut.

I looked up at him, into his eyes, and sighed when he was done.

"Thanks. That feels a lot better," I said truthfully. I smiled at him, and he flashed me one of his rare-quick smiles, lighting up our immediate area.

"You're welcome."

We sat in comfortable silence for a few moments, my heart beating erratically. Dang it. How did he do that? Why was it that whenever I was around him my little genetically enhanced heart did somersaults? It wasn't fair.

"Max?" Fang whispered.

"Yeah?"

"Why is your heart practically dancing right now?" Fang inquired, raising an eyebrow.

Oh, my god. _He could hear it._ He could hear my thundering heart right now. As if in response to his words, and to my utter mortification, it beat even faster. Even _I _could hear it. Oh, god, help me.

My whole face turned red, burning. "No reason," I said, looking anywhere but his face. Why must he choose today to actually ask me about this? Hadn't I had enough torture in the face that I was suffering from a minor gunshot wound and was nearly blown up by a bomb? Ya know, apparently today is just not my day.

I took a deep breath and looked up at Fang. He was looking skeptical. I looked into his eyes…they really were beautiful…._he _was beautiful – WAIT! Stop it right there, Max. This can not be happening.

_But why not? What would be so bad about it? _A more feminist part of my mind prodded.

Fang looked curiously at me, and moved his head forward a little, tilting it ever so slightly. I surprised myself by leaning forward also, and closing the space between us. My lips met his.

His arms wrapped gently around my waist, and I raised my hand to the side of his face. I was kissing him, and the world hadn't exploded.

I was kissing him, and he was kissing me back.

And, you know what?

It wasn't half bad.

**So there you go. Did you like it? Hate it? Tell me what you think by pressing that oh-so-pretty review button at the bottom of your screen.**

**P.S. I will not be so lenient next time if I do not get some more reviews. I worked ****forever ****on this chapter, just so you know. So, bottom line, at least 14 reviews, or no new chapter. **

**P.P.S. A big thanks to all of you that have reviewed! You don't have any idea how much it means to me that you like my story.**

**Thanks for taking the time to read this,**

**-Soccerislife14**


	7. Surprise

**A/N: Here is the updated version of chapter 7. I don't know if you all noticed, but Fang was EXTRAORDINARILY out of character. After looking at it, I really didn't like it, so I decided to fix it. I think this one is more in character. Tell me what you think!**

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_Fang looked curiously at me, and moved his head forward a little, tilting it ever so slightly. I surprised myself by leaning forward also, and closing the space between us. My lips met his._

_His arms wrapped gently around my waist, and I raised my hand to the side of his face. I was kissing him, and the world hadn't exploded._

_I was kissing him, and he was kissing me back._

_And, you know what?_

_It wasn't half bad._

**Fangs P.O.V., about two minutes earlier…)**

I heard a swift, fluttering pounding, coming from within Max's chest. Kind of like a bird's heartbeat – well, scratch that. It sounded like how our heartbeats usually were, except nearly 12 times faster. It was kind of alarming, if you wanted to know the truth. I hadn't scared her _that _bad, had I?

"Max?"

"Yeah?" She answered, looking up at me.

I raised an eyebrow, looking skeptically at her. "Why is your heart practically dancing right now?"

I felt like cracking up when Max's eyes did her famous deer-in-the-headlights look. Was it just me, or was her face turning red? Was she having a heat attack, like I used to have?

"No reason," She muttered, looking steadily at her own feet. I read easily. She was embarrassed. Why? Even I wasn't as full of myself to think that it was because I was here. She had already made it clear that she didn't think of me like that, what with the running-away-constantly-when-ever-I-kissed-her, for example.

She took a deep breath, and finally looked up at me. Her eyes were boring into mine, her beautiful light brown into my – well – darker brown. I know, I could be poet with my great descriptive talent. I don't know what she was looking for in them, or what she found.

Then, she looked as if she was deciding something. Her eyebrows scrunched together. She even looked beautiful while looking so confused…

I hadn't realized that I had been subconsciously moving forward, tilting my head ever so slightly. I was about to lean back, when Max did what I never thought she'd do.

So swiftly that even _I, _with my genetically enhanced vision, hardly even saw her coming, she leaned forward and touched her lips to mine.

I didn't know what to think. My mind had shorted out the moment that her lips had touched mine. The only semi-coherent that I had was, "Max is kissing me…Max is kissing me…wow."

I thought she was going to get up and run. That was just how Max was. But, she wasn't running right now. What did that mean?

I didn't care. Because, for that moment, I felt happy. Hopeful. I wrapped my arms gently around her, and angled my head so that we could kiss better. She raised her hand to the side of my face.

_This is about the time where you usually up-and-run, Max, _I thought sadly.

But, she didn't run. She stayed right where she was, and was kissing me just as actively as I was kissing her.

Then, after a minute, or hours, or maybe even days (I wouldn't have noticed), we broke apart. We were both breathing kind of raggedly, she looked about as surprised as I felt.

But, behind the surprise, she looked – well – happy. Content. For the first time in weeks, she didn't have any fear or confusion in her eyes. She smiled lightly, just raising the edges of her mouth. She didn't need to smile hugely – her eyes did all of her talking for her. The brightness in her eyes made me mutter under my breath, "Wow."

She laughed.

"I surprise even myself sometimes," she said. I chuckled, and she joined in.

But, there was something I had to ask her, something that was driving me crazy. "But..When did you decide that you wanted things to…be like this…for you and me?"

I know that I had worded it funny. But Max understood what I was asking.

She took a minute to answer, struggling for the right words. "I'm just…tired. Tired of fighting against what I feel. Tired of hurting you. Tired…of hurting me." She looked down for a moment before she lifted her face up toward me. "I'm pathetic, aren't I?"

"Nah. You're fine," I said.

"Fang?" She asked.

"Yeah?"

"I never did get to…apologize…for running off all those times." I knew how hard it was for her to say that. I knew how hard it was for her to apologize for anything, period. Especially stuff about her feelings. She hated the vulnerability. Her face fell again. "I've been confused these past few months, and I know I've hurt you. More than once." Her voice was heavy at the end.

I didn't say anything. I just leaned forward, and held her tight. I know, very un-Fang like.

She smiled at me again. As she leaned forward – To kiss me again? – a weird look went across her face. Then, a spasm of fear flicked in her eyes. She gasped –

"Fang! _Get out of the way!!" _She yelled, knocking me sideways.

Seconds later, a large bullet whizzed through the trees, exploding at the last second in Max's face. Max fell backwards with a yell, tied in a net. She dropped out of the 120 foot tree, her wings fluttering uselessly behind her.

**_____________________________________________________________**

**A/N: So how did you like the updated version? Like it? Hate it? Tell me what you think by pressing that oh-so-pretty review button at the bottom of your screen.**

**P.S. Please, don't worry. This chapter is not going to change chapter 8, which is already posted. Relax. I just wanted to make it more "in character."**

**Thanks to all of you who have reviewed!**

**-Soccerislife14**


	8. Bloodlust

**Well, here's chapter eight! I worked hard on this chapter as well, and would like to dedicate it to those who have reviewed my story so far: Californagirl, Chiprincess, pigs103, sparkleglitz01, Sparxflame, Twilighteer1211, Silken-Winged-Angel, little lady, and Vallis. You all are really nice, and your constructive comments meant a lot to me.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Maximum Ride or any of its characters. Only James Patterson is capable of that kind of genius.**

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Well, I had to hand it to the Voice. It had been right – I _would _have more than a second's notice for an attack. But I didn't know that it would tell me when another person was going to be attacked, as well.

I had been, for once in my freaking life, actually calm. Content. I had just kissed Fang. He had kissed me back. I had done what I had been fighting with myself to do for months, and then everything had been perfect.

Ya know, for about 28 seconds.

Then, out of nowhere, I had had another vision, one that had made my blood run cold: I had seen Fang, getting shot, and captured by a net, falling to the ground, his wings no use…

I didn't know if I could reverse it. All I had thought was, "Not Fang, not Fang, No, I'm not going to lose him like this." Then, I had pushed him out of the way, putting myself between him and the line of fire.

Then, pain. A gargantuan exertion of pain, exploding in my face, then I felt my limbs being pinned to my sides, and losing my balance…

Which brought me to where I was right now, falling out of a 120 foot tree. I desperately fought to lift my wings, to catch the air, without success.

How ironic, that a person who'd been through as much as I had, with all the skills I had, was going to die by falling out of a tree. A simple, good for nothing tree. Instead of, say, being tortured to death by mad scientists. For example.

Then, out of nowhere, I stopped falling, and was jerked back upwards. I craned my head around, still struggling to release myself of this binding net, to see who my savoir was. I literally snarled when I saw that it was more erasers, version 2.3. Two guys this time, who looked even stronger than Mr. Tawny-guy from the forest.

"Max!" Fang yelled. He was in arm-to-arm combat with a beautiful female eraser, and Iggy and Nudge were helping him. Jeez, those new creatures were strong, if it took three flock members just to take one of them down.

Angel and Gazzy, meanwhile, were flying down toward me, their faces determined. I literally screamed at Angel through my thoughts, _No!! Angel, no, you'll get hurt – _

But she merely shook her head and kept on coming. I kicked and punched and shoved as much as I could in my bindings at the erasers carrying me, daring them to hurt my little girl.

The nearest one kicked me with enough force to stop a 60 mph semi.

I sucked in a sharp intake of breath, and shrieked inarticulately at him.

Angel and Gazzy tried to take the nearest one down by throwing a series of punches to their chests. Then, remembering a piece of useful information, I thought, _Angel – Their heads are their weak spots! Tell Gazzy."_

I feared to say it out loud, in case the erasers braced for the attack.

Seconds later, Angel was throwing a roundhouse kick at the Eraser's head, but he blocked it. Then, about 3 seconds before it happened, my vision clouded.

I gasped.

"_No!" _I screamed, and tried uselessly to shield Angel from the pain I knew was coming, fighting against my binds. But, sure enough, as I knew it would happen, the eraser kicked Angel upside her jaw, and she collapsed, falling through the air…My baby, falling to her death.

"Gazzy! Get Angel!!" I yelled at the 8 year old boy. He swooped down and caught Angel with seconds to spare.

Bloodlust filled my body, and my eyes clouded not with another vision, but with redness. I was going to kill these erasers, rip them to shreds, make them wish they'd never been _born. _They would not get away with nearly killing my little girl, my whole family.

Shrieking a string of profanities at them, I pushed against my binds as much as I could, willing myself to break them in half. These guys were lucky that they had me tied up, or else they would be _dead. _I could have cheerfully ripped them apart and laughed while I burned the pieces, I was so angry.

But my attempts at breaking the net were useless. This was made of nylon rope, and even my extreme genetically enhanced muscles did no good against it.

Then, I felt a piece of cool metal against my temple. I froze.

Everyone seemed to quit fighting at once, and turned around as the male eraser said, while still holding the gun against my forehead, "Stop. Or she dies."

Complete silence. My eyes flicked nervously to Fang. His usually calm face looked tortured. Iggy looked shocked. Nudge looked about to cry again. Gazzy was looking up toward me, looking scared, holding an unconscious Angel on the forest floor. Total was sitting on the tree limb, his eyes darting nervously from the eraser to myself.

Fang took a deep breath, and slowly, as though it killed him to do so, lowered his hands. The rest of the flock lowered theirs as well, surrendering.

Another vision clouded my eyes, about 4 seconds before it really happened. My eyes grew wide.

The eraser holding me snapped his fingers, and over ten new erasers appeared into the clearing we were in.

"No - !"

But then the eraser knocked me painfully on my temple with the guns barrel. The last thing I saw was my flock, being attacked by the new swarm of erasers.

My head snapped forward, and then everything was gone.

**Did you like it? Hate it? Think-it-was-okay-but-needs-some-work? I'm not very good at fight scenes, so tell me what you think by clicking that oh-so-pretty review button at the bottom of your screen.**

**P.S. Thanks to all who have reviewed…I've said this over a million time, but thank you, thank you, thank you. Ha.**

**Thanks for taking the time to read this!**

**-Soccerforlife14**


	9. Help? Please? AN

**A/N: Erghh. Let the records show that this is the most annoying case of writers block that I suffered from yet. I've tried **_**everything **_**to make it go away. I've read books for ideas, did character profiles, listened to music, took a break…jeez. So, since it hasn't lessened yet, I've decided to ask your opinions, faithful readers: What do ****you**** think should happen to Max?**

**I'll go ahead and tell you, she's most likely going to be taken to the School, or an Itex branch (Duh.), but what should happen at said location? I have a few ideas up my sleeve, but I don't know how they'll work out. So, any ideas? If I use any of your ideas, you'll receive full credit for it in the chapter and a sneak peek before I post it! And, I'll be utterly thankful! Ha**

**Or, if you have any remedies for writers block, I would be eternally thankful as well! **

**Please give me some feedback,**

**-Soccerforlife14**


	10. Thoughts

**So, after much fighting against writers-block, here is chapter 10! I decided to experiment with some 3****rd**** person point of view this time, so I hope it's not too confusing.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Maximum Ride, or any of it's characters. Only James Patterson is capable of that kind of genius.**

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Fang was thrown, struggling with all his might, into the lab by the demonic-erasers. Nudge and Iggy were thrown in right behind him, landing tangled in one another. Iggy had a black eye, and his whole left arm was covered in bruises and scrapes, but he seemed to be doing okay. Nudge had a large swipe on her side, along with several nasty looking gashes on her legs. They immediately got to their feet, to stand beside Fang, who was already braced for another fight.

Fang was ready to tear these guys apart, limb from limb. He had fought hardest of all when the new swarm of erasers had arrived, enraged that they were attacking his family. His blood had run cold when he saw two male erasers flying away with Max in between them, blood running down her check from her temple, bound and limp…

The erasers were just now getting ready to close the door. Fang ran forward with Nudge and Iggy, trying to overwhelm the erasers, and get out of here. He didn't think that they could take them down that easily…it had taken him, Nudge, and Iggy just to take down the female in the clearing…

It was useless. He tried to swing a roundhouse kick at the erasers head, remembering what Max had told him once before about their weak point. But the eraser merely slammed the door shut with a loud _"BANG!" _that vibrated throughout the room.

Fang groaned and kicked the lead door out of frustration.

"What do we do?" Nudge whispered.

"I'll tell you what we're going to do!" Iggy yelled. "We're going to bust out of here and kick some eraser a–"

Fang cut across him. "We're going to think of a plan, first, Iggy. We can't just bust out of here. What about Max? Angel? Gazzy? We have to figure out where they are, and save them."

Nudge gasped. "Angel! Fang – what if she can hear us? Maybe she can read our minds right now!"

She sat down on the ground cross legged, and closed her eyes.

After a moment of silence, Iggy asked, "Erm…Nudge? What are you doing?"

She kept her eyes closed, concentrating. "I'm using the force."

Fang rolled his eyes and sat down. "I think she means that she's trying to talk to Angel, get her to hear her thoughts, Ig."

"Oh."

"Yeah, _oh."_

Nudge cut across our bickering, and said, all serious, "Use the force, guys. _Connect _with the force."

After a beat, we all cracked up.

Angel gasped. Then she grinned. "Gazzy! Fang, Nudge, and Iggy are trying to talk to me. They're not far away! They're in here somewhere."

She and Gazzy were in a big, white room that resembled a principle's office. The erasers had thrown them in here about an hour ago, and Angel had just regained consciousness about 30 minutes ago. Just now, the siblings had been talking about what had just happened to them, wondering where the others were, and if they were okay.

"What're they saying?" Gazzy asked anxiously. He crossed from sitting on the desk to sit on the floor next to Angel.

Angel concentrated for a moment, and heard Nudge's thoughts.

_Ange? Ange? Can you hear me? It's Nudge!_

_Nudge! Yes, I can hear you. Are you okay?_

_Just a few scrapes and bruises between Me, Fang, and Iggy. But, other than that, we're okay. How about you and Gazzy and Max?_

_Me and Gazzy are good. And what do you mean? Isn't Max with you all?_

Nudge took a minute to relay this to the guys. Then, _Fang wants to talk to you._

_Okay._

Angel heard the distinct feel of Fang's thoughts, and gave him her attention.

_Angel? Are you there?_

_Yeah, Fang. What's wrong?_

_So Max isn't with you and Gazzy?_

_No._

Fang got nervous. _Can you feel her anywhere?_

Angel took a moment to search for Max's thoughts. She found them, but they were very faint.

_She's here. But, they're really quiet. She's sort of slipping in and out of consciousness. _

_What's she thinking? Anything about where she is?_

_She doesn't know. It's just random things, like dreams. She won't open her eyes. And… _Angel winced.

_What is it, Angel? _

_She's in a lot of pain. The pain is blocking out everything else._

Fang's thoughts turned angry. He wanted to hurt anyone who had done this to her, make them feel what Max was feeling.

Angel searched for any thoughts in the building that could help her find Max.

A scientist, checking stats on a computer…An executive, in a meeting…Then – Aha!

_Fang? I know where Max is!_

_Where?!_

_She's in an isolation tank. On the top floor. I just heard a scientist thinking about it._

Angel heard Fang recalling a past conversation with Max, after she had defeated Max II. They had talked about the isolation tank…

**FLASHBACK: **

_"How bad was it?" Fang asked._

_"Real bad," Max answered. He knew that it took a lot to make Max admit being in pain…_

**END FLASHBACK.**

Angel thought back to Fang, _We'll get her out. Do you have a plan?_

_There's always a plan, _Fang thought back. A lesson he'd learned so very well from Max.

___________________________________________

**So what do you think? Did you like it? Hate it? Think it could be better? Tell me what you thought by pressing that oh-so-pretty review button at the bottom of your screen!**

**P.S. Thanks to those very few of you who have reviewed. I wish that more people would, though…(sigh)…my next chapter is going to be dedicated to all of you who have been nice enough to review! **

**Thanks for taking the time to read this!**

**-Soccerislife14**


	11. Pain

**Well, here's chapter eleven! I hope you like it. I also changed the points of view in this one, so enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Maximum Ride or any of its characters. Only James Patterson is capable of that kind of genius.**

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**Max's P.O.V.**

The last thing that I could remember was seeing my vision of my flock getting attacked…getting hit in the head by a gun barrel, and everything turning black, gone…

Right now, I didn't know where I was. There was absolutely nothing to go by, except for the pain. My hair was wet, as were my wings, and I felt like I was floating. I couldn't sink. There was nothing to feel, except for the pain. It was excruciating.

I tried to open my eyes, and saw nothing. I was alone in the darkness, uncertain of where I was.

_You're not uncertain. Think, Max. Where have you felt like this before? _My voice said.

_Well, let me think, _I thought with a snarl. _Where have I felt completely useless, unable to feel anything –_

Then I froze. Well, mentally, anyway. I could hardly move physically. But I froze mid-thought. Because I knew where I was. I was in an isolation tank.

Except, my pain receptors seemed to be the only sense that wasn't isolated.

_Yes, Maximum. You're in an isolation chamber. But It's a new invention. It's designed to test your endurance, how you handle extreme pain._

_Well, __**great, **__now that's all cleared up, _I thought to the voice. _Now how the heck am I supposed to get out of here?_

I was breathing raggedly, already thinking that I could simply do what I did last time; just slow down my system, confuse whoever was monitoring me into thinking I was dead.

_That won't work, Max. They already know that trick._

_Then what do YOU suppose I should do, Voice? Since apparently I'm doing it wrong. _I thought sarcastically.

_It's not my decision, Max. This is up to you. _

I felt like shrieking at it. And I did. I yelled and shouted and screamed. Then, my voice gave out.

I thought of my flock. I thought of Gazzy, Iggy, Nudge, Angel, Total. Fang. My thoughts lingered on him for a long time, and memories raced through my mind.

Fang, holding my hand when I cried at the awful school, years ago when I was only 8. Fang, catching me when I fell out of the air from my first brain attack. Fang, kissing me in the cave, on the dock…yesterday, his arms wrapped around me, kissing me as I kissed him. Fang, my right hand man.

I didn't know what to do. The last thing I remembered before I went unconscious again was trying to hold back my tears, and the unbearable pain. Honestly, I didn't know if I was going to ever see my flock again.

______ __________ _____________ _________________

Fang heard the footsteps running quickly toward the door. Then, the lock clicked, and Gazzy and Angel, followed by a confused looking scientist holding a key, ran in.

Angel looked at the man and said, "You're going to let them go, too. You're going to led us up to Max, and help us release her. You'll forget that we're here."

The man's eyes went blank, and he said, "I'm letting you go. I'll lead you to Maximum."

Angel smiled sweetly. "Thank you."

Then, she came over to Fang, Nudge, and Iggy. "You're plan worked awesomely, Fang! This man had no idea what happened to him!" She gave him a high five.

"Yeah, we all know Fnick's a genius," Iggy said sarcastically. "Now, let's go get Max."

"Wait – where's Total?" Gazzy asked.

A muffled voice came out of his backpack. "I'm in here, you nimrod!" Then, Total coughed disgustedly. "Now I know why they call you the Gasman…ugh! Where's a gasmask when you need one?"

The flock rolled their eyes, and followed the scientist out the door.

_Don't worry, Max, _Fang thought. _We're coming._

**_____________________________**_** _____________**

**So, what did you think? Like it, or hate it? Think it could be better? Tell me what you think by pressing that oh-so-pretty review button at the bottom of your screen!**

**P.S. A big thanks to all of you who have reviewed so far! This chapter is dedicated especially to you. I'm glad that you think my story is good!**

**P.P.S. I would really like to get some more feedback on my story, so I've decided: no new chapter until I have 26 reviews all together. C'mon, you all…I'm only asking for 6 reviews here. I just want to know how you all are liking the story.**

**Thanks for taking the time to read this. Please read and review.**

**-Soccerislife14**


	12. Crash

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Maximum Ride or any of it's characters. Only James Patterson is capable of that kind of genius.

**A/N: Hey, guys! I'm sorry it's been awhile since I've updated. My school is performing Beauty and the Beast in a few weeks, so we've been using all the extra time we can get to work on it. But, we got out early today because all the lights in the auditorium went out, the winds were gusting up to 60 mph, and we were under a tornado warning. Thankfully, the storm has died down now, and everyone's perfectly fine. **

**So yeah. Anywho, here is chapter 12. It's not as long as the others, but I thought it was really cool to write. Enjoy!**

**_____________________________________ ______**

**Fangs P.O.V.**

They ran sneakily through the hallways, following after the scientist. Angel was able to give them a warning whenever someone was coming near, so they hid when necessary. Eventually, the scientist led the flock up to an iron door, about 10 feet tall. He had to use 3 fingerprint pads, 5 keys, and several codes to gain access.

_Top security, much? _Fang thought to himself.

The door opened with a _hssss. _Then, they stepped over the threshold into a large lab.

And they froze. Because, in a tank that took up the whole entire wall, was Max, floating on her back, looking almost dead.

"C'mon, she's just unconscious," Angel said. Then, she walked up to the tank, and put her hand on the glass. After a moment of concentration, she informed the flock, "I can't talk to her. She's sort of dreaming. We'll have to bust her out."

Fang readied himself.

"Stand back," He warned the flock quietly. Then, using all of his genetically enhanced strength, punched the glass with an almighty _CRACK!!_

_______________ ________________ _________________

**Max's P.O.V.**

"_Max!"_

"_Wake up, Max."_

"_Max?"_

_Max…Max…Max. I felt gentle, warm hands on my face, patting my hands, my arms…I knew they must be gentle, but even the slightest touches sent my senses on hay wire. _

_I heard the voices, but I didn't understand. I felt the touches, and I couldn't comprehend. Everything on my body ached, every surface, every bone…everything. The pain was overwhelming. My body felt as if it had been hit by a wrecking ball. My head was pounding…pain…_

_Then, I heard the most beautiful, most familiar sound. The only voice that could have possibly woken me from my reverie. It put me into sharper awareness. I remembered, with perfect clarification, why I was in so much pain. _

"_Max, please. Don't do this to me. Wake up." The person's warm breath was near my ear, and was barely above a whisper. I felt a warm hand, stronger than any of the others, holding my hand._

_Fang. I tried to open my eyes, trying with all my might. But, I couldn't. I was sunk too deep under the waters of unconsciousness, too deep within my brain, to make my body work properly._

_Fangs hand squeezed mine. My hand was trying to respond to his, to squeeze back, to tell him I was alright, not to worry… I tried, I really did…But it was fruitless. It was like trying to grasp at air. I couldn't find something to hold on to, to pull me out of the deep water…_

_I didn't know what was happening. Before I had time to seriously worry, I fell back within the deep waters, my thoughts disappearing into the blackness… _

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**So, what did you think? Like it? Hate it? Think it could be better? Tell what you think by pressing that oh-so-pretty review button at the bottom of your screen. **

**P.S. PLEASE, review. I'd love to hear any ideas from you guys on how to make this story more better/interesting. I type a lot faster when I have motivation! :-)**

**And, lastly, thank you to everyone who has reviewed. It means so much to me! **

**Thanks for taking the time to read this,**

**-Soccerislife14**


	13. Annie

**A/N: Hey everyone! Here's chapter 13. I know, it's been a while since I've updated, and I apologize. Like I said, I'm helping to put on a show of Beauty and The Beast, and it's been quite nerve-racking trying to remember all the dance moves they're teaching me. But, I found the time to post today! I hope you all like this chapter. I'll try to post Chapter 14 soon.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Maximum Ride, or any of it's characters. Only James Patterson is capable of that kind of genius.**

**__________ ________________ _________________**

**FANG P.O.V.**

I placed Max on the tiled floor, her body and clothes sopping wet with a thick clear liquid. Even the slightest contact with the watery substance sent my nerves on fire, but I chose to ignore it. I now understood why Angel said that Max had been in pain. I could only imagine what it felt like to float, completely covered in it, unable to move.

That thought sent a surge of anger through me. I was going to _kill _those whitecoats. Anyone who could put a girl like Max through so much pain, made me see red.

Her eyes were closed, and her face looked strained. You really would think that she was dead, if you didn't hear the slow heartbeat coming from her chest. I was instantly reminded of when I had last kissed her, then mentally slapped myself. _This is _so _not the time, Fang._

The flock crowded around where I was laying down with Max, all of them gently trying to wake her. Nudge practically ran, and Angel was right behind her. Total had found his way out of The Gasman's bag, and was licking Max's cheek.

"Max!" Nudge exclaimed.

Iggy felt of Max's pulse, which seemed to be normal. "Wake up, Max."

Angel frowned. "Max?

I looked around at her. She talked to me using her telepathy. _She's awake – sort of. She hears us. But she doesn't really understand it. She's so out of it. _

_Do you think that I can wake her? _I asked.

_You're her best friend, Fang. Maybe she'll respond to you._

I gently took one of Max's wet hands and squeezed it, then leaned down close to her ear. "Max, please. Don't do this to me. Wake up," I said softly.

There was a beat of pure silence. Then –

_She remembers!! _Angel thought excitedly. My heart leapt.

"She's trying to squeeze your hand, Fang, but she can't get her muscles to work exactly right. I think that she's still in shock from the tank," Angel whispered, thinking intently.

However, one of Max's fingers twitched.

After another minute of concentration, Angel spoke. "Darn, she's unconscious again," Angel whispered to the rest of the flock.

"But she's okay?" Iggy asked nervously.

"I think so," Angel replied. "She just needs some time to rest, and get out of the shock - "

"Shh!!" Iggy whisper-yelled.

Then we all froze. Because a new person had joined our little gathering.

"Please," A beautiful girl with white-blonde hair that fell down to her waist said. She looked to be about my age. "Don't be afraid. I'm here to help."

This had to be an eraser. Had to be.

I gave her the darkest look I could muster, and hid Max's unconscious form behind me. Standing up in a defensive stance, I growled, "Who are you?"

She looked over to where the rest of the flock stood, an uncommonly kind look in her eyes. "I'm Annie. I'm a friend." She took off her jacket. Then, she slowly unfurled a pair of bright, tawny wings.

I blinked – my version of complete astonishment.

Well. That was unexpected.

Angel walked forward, and stared at the girl. "Explain."

_________________ _______________________ ___

**So, what do you think? Did you like it? Hate it? Think it could be better? Tell me what you thought by pressing that ah-so-pretty review button at the bottom of your screen.**

**P.S. Thanks to everyone who has reviewed my story so far! You have no idea how much it means to me that you've liked it!**

**Thanks for taking the time to read this,**

**-Soccerislife14**


	14. Bombs

**A/N: So, without further adieu, here's chapter 14. We did our first performance of Beauty and The Beast today, so it's not as hectic now. I'll probably have chapter 15 posted sometime this weekend. Thanks to all who've read this. Enjoy!**

**________________ ___________________ ________**

**Annie's P.O.V.**

_She looked over to where the rest of the flock stood, an uncommonly kind look in her eyes. "I'm Annie. I'm a friend." She took off her jacket. Then, she slowly unfurled a pair of bright, tawny wings._

_I blinked – my version of complete astonishment._

_Well. That was unexpected._

_Angel walked forward, and stared at the girl. "Explain."_

_________________________ ___________________ ___

The young girl looked up at me, curiously. I knew that she had mind reading powers, and could hear everything that I was thinking. The dark one was still looking at me with distrust, standing defensively, Max's unconscious form behind him. The younger blonde boy was standing a little ways behind the young girl, in a fighting stance as well. The mocha-colored girl was standing tense beside the tall, blonde boy, who was looking in my general direction, listening intently.

Jen had said that this wasn't going to be easy. All the undercover work, all the hiding, fighting against flyboys– all of it was going to add up to this. I couldn't help them if they didn't trust me.

I took a deep breath, and began. "I've always been here at the School. I can't remember _never _being here. My earliest memories are of me in a cage." I couldn't help but shudder at the dreadful memories.

"Then, one day, a good scientist helped me. Her name was Jen. She taught me how to fight. How to read. How to write. She's like my mom in so many ways. She got me out of here, nearly getting herself killed in the process. She's my best friend."

I didn't feel particularly uncomfortable telling these strangers this. I trust easily. "But she told me of Itex's plans. I didn't like them. I didn't want innocent kids to go through what I've been through. So we made a plan. A plan to bring Itex down. And we can't do that if everyone's locked up in a cage, sentenced to die." I looked over at the flock, who looked surprised. I knew that they weren't used to getting help.

"No, we aren't," The little one –Angel, I believe – said in response to my thoughts. "But why would you want to help us?"

My eyes widened a little in surprise. Wasn't it obvious?

"Why would I not?" I asked. "It's what's right. And part of me knows that I would want someone to help me if I were in the same situation."

After a moment of reading my thoughts, Angel smiled in earnest. "Thank you." Then, she turned back to her waiting flock.

"She's okay. She has a caring mind. Annie just wants to help us. She's on our side," She assured them.

The flock relaxed. "Can you help Max?" The small, blonde boy asked me. I could tell that he was trying to be strong, but his façade was slipping slightly. He was scared for Max.

Walking forward slowly, I moved to bend down next to Max. Fang lay her gently back down on the floor, holding her hand. I looked up at him. I knew that even he was a little worried, even though he wouldn't admit it.

I felt of Max's pulse, which was very slow, even for a hybrid. Then, I spoke to the flock. "Stand back," I cautioned.

They did as they were asked, and then I took a deep breath. Then, I placed my hand on Max's head, and my palm warmed. My body lit up with a golden light, and I heard someone gasp. Then, slowly, the gold light transferred from my body into Max's. She glowed for a moment, and then she was still.

I stepped back. Angel said, "She has healing powers!"

I nodded yes, watching Max. She should be opening her eyes in a few moments.

Max coughed, and then her eyelids fluttered. Then, as if it was instinctual, she immediately sat up and got to her feet, stumbling slightly. Her flock crowded around her, and she assured them that she was fine. Fang went up to her and held her close. She held him close, too. I smiled. They must really care about each other.

I felt Angel's presence in my mind. She giggled, and thought back to me, _You have __**no**__ idea!_

Max stiffened when she noticed that I was here. I immediately backed away even more, not wanting to startle her. "Who are you?" She asked, standing defensively in front of her flock.

"Max," Fang whispered. "She healed you. She's on our side."

I stood there, and held out my wings a little to show her.

Her eyes widened a bit. After she had collected herself, she said, "Um..Thanks."

"You're welcome. I'm Annie, by the way," I said politely. Her brown eyes looked at my deep blue as she said, "I'm Max."

"Well, now we know that Max is saved, blah blah blah…exactly _how _do you suppose that we bust out of here?" The one named Iggy said, slightly rolling his eyes. I realized suddenly that he was blind.

I laughed a little. "Well, assuming that you have wings, I think that this will be fairly simple. All we need to do is distract the guards, cause a diversion, sneak past the security systems, override the sensors –"

"Or, ya know, I could just get one of my oh-so-fabulous bombs out and blow a hole in the wall. Would that work?" Iggy interrupted me in serious tone.

I was startled. _Bombs?_ Angel giggled.

"Um..," I said weakly, trying unsuccessfully to hide my surprise, "that could probably work, too."

The whole flock laughed at my expression.

Iggy grinned. I was surprised when my stomach did a little somersault. "Stand back, then," He warned to everyone. Then, he pulled a little capsule out of his zipper pocket, and threw it at the nearest wall.

They all ducked. I, having no bomb experience, merely stood there ignorantly. I wasn't used to having things explode, quite frankly.

There was a beeping sound…5…4…3…

"Annie, you _might_ want to get down!" Iggy yelled, running towards me, and dragging me down to the floor.

2…1…

_BOOM!!_

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**So what did you think? Did you like it? Hate it? Think it could be better? Tell me what you think by pressing that oh-so-pretty review button at the bottom of your screen.**

**P.S. A big thanks to all of you who have reviewed. You rock my world! Of course, all of you who've read my story rock my world, but the people who've reviewed not only rock my world; They're number one on my favorite things list.**

**P.P.S. Please review. **_**Please?**_

**Thanks for taking the time to read this,**

**-Soccerislife14**


	15. Confusion

A/N: Hey you all. First and foremost, let me give a big shout out to all of you who have reviewed my story so far! I'm so thrilled that you all like my story, and I'd love to be able to give you all the hugest thanks ever. Your comments really do make my day a bit brighter. :-)

I'm sorry to get your all's hopes up, thinking that this was a new chapter…sorry. But, I seriously do need some of your help as to what you want to happen in the story, because I am at a blank. Like I said, I don't have a plan for "Just Max." It's a completely spur-of-the-moment writing process. I just think of ideas for the chapters, and then I write them down accordingly. Right now, I'm suffering from the oh-so-fabulous writers block. Again. Grr.

So, really, what do you want to happen? Seriously, I need some pointing in the right direction. The more ideas I get, the faster I can update for you all. As soon as I can, I'm thinking of posting a poll on my profile, but I'm not for certain yet.

But really, even the smallest tidbits would be helpful to me. Where should they go? Should I end the plot soon? Extend it? Should Iggy and Annie like each other? Should Annie get captured? Should Annie be a traitor? A new flock member? More Fax (Just so you know, I hate fluff. This in excess is unlikely)? Should I change the P.O.V.? I'm so undecided. Keep in mind; I want to keep this all In-Character.

So, please, tell me what you think. Or any remedies that help a teen girl with writers block would be wonderful, too!

Remember, to all of you who have gotten this story to over 2,000 hits, you rock my world. Thank you, from the bottom of my heart. Thank you.

Tell me what you think by pressing that oh-so-pretty review button at the bottom of your screen. Please?

Thanks for reading this extremely long authors note,

-Soccerislife14.


	16. Free

**A/N: Thank you all for your wonderful reviews! They helped a lot. An especially big thanks to ****Mor'ranrFricai****, ****volleychik12****, and Sparklegrl for their help. I'm not saying that that's what I'm going to specifically have in my story, but they all gave me some inspiration.**

**So, without further adieu, here is Just Max, Chapter 16!**

**P.S. Take **_**that, **_**writers block! I have defeated you once again!**

**____________ ___________________ ____________**

**Max P.O.V.**

We escaped. I'm not going to give a bunch of pointless details, but, long story short, we made it through the wall that Iggy blew up, and flew out pretty quickly. Seriously, those white coats need some help. There were only three of them that ran out with guns pointed at us. It was a pretty sad attempt at recapturing us. They didn't even strike close. It was weird..

I felt almost completely normal. My veins were not on fire anymore, or hardly anyway. They stung just a little, but it was a walk in the park, a nap on a feather bed, compared to being completely covered in it, unable to move…

I shuddered internally. That had been almost too painful to endure, even though I would never admit it.

We were flying through the air right now, already about 86 miles away from the school. I didn't really know where we were headed, and I really didn't care. I was with my flock, the people I loved, and we were up In the air, free. That was all I ever asked for.

And then there was Annie. I looked over at her. She flew almost as well as us, and she seemed okay. Nice enough. I didn't really trust her yet – heck, you try growing up in a cage for 10 years of your life, and see how paranoid it makes you – but the rest of the flock seemed to be getting along with her very well. She wasn't much of a talker, but they were coping with that. Nudge, especially.

"So!" Nudge exclaimed enthusiastically. "Annie's a pretty name. Not fancy enough for my liking, but decent. Is it short for anything? Annelise? Annabella? Annabelle? Don't you think it would be cool to be called something like that, it'd be like you had a queen's name -"

Iggy, thankfully, clapped his hand over her mouth. "Whoa, Nudge, slow down."

Annie laughed thankfully and smiled. "No, my name's just Annie. I chose it myself. I don't really like fancy things."

Hmm. We were alike in that point, at least. I was going to watch her like a hawk for awhile. I didn't think that she was going to stay with us forever, though.

"Annie?" I called.

"You said you were helping other experiments escape earlier…?"

"Oh, yes. What is it you'd like to know?" She answered back politely.

"I was wondering if you were going to go off on your own soon, or what your game plan was."

She paused to think for a moment, frowning. "Jen said that you all were the last experiments in this area that I had to rescue. We've saved the rest of them. I'll probably be on my way soon, though.."

Nudge gasped dramatically. "NO! I was just getting to know you. Can't you stay for awhile? Please?"

Gazzy and Angel followed her lead, and started begging her to stay. I rolled my eyes. Kids.

Iggy, though surprised me by coming up to me and whispering, "Can she, Max?"

I was taken aback.

"Why?" I whispered back.

Iggy blushed a little. "She's alright."

Then, I made the connection. I laughed. "_Oh. _I see."

Beside me, Fang raised an eyebrow. I just shook my head at him.

I considered it. Annie was okay. What could it hurt for her to stay for awhile? She'd go off on her own soon, anyway.

I raised my voice to call out. "How'd you like to stay for a few days, Annie?"

Annie looked a little surprised, but then she smiled. "I'd love to, Max! Thanks."

I nodded my head in response.

We stopped at a McDonald's soon to get a bite to eat, and then we were off, our only aim to get as far away from the school at we could.

I was happy. My flock was happy and safe for now. We'd escaped the hounds of heck yet another time, and we weren't starving. Everyone was content.

But how long would that last?

______________________________ _____________

**So, what did you think? Like it? Hate it? Tell me what you think by pressing that oh-so-pretty review button at the bottom of your screen.**

**P.S. Again, thanks to all of you who have read and reviewed. You really do rock my world. **

**Thanks for taking the time to read this,**

**-Soccerislife14**


	17. The Director

**A/N: So, I'm really sorry for the wait, you guys. I've just been kind of busy lately, so I've had other things on my mind. But, I finished chapter 17 just now! I really hope you all like it. This chapter has Jen (remember, the good whitecoat who helped Annie escape? She's working undercover now. Just F.Y.I.).**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Maximum Ride or any of it's characters. Only James Patterson is capable of that kind of genius. **

**Enjoy!**

________________________________ _______________________

**Third Person P.O.V.**

Two of the new versioned erasers dragged the struggling female scientist into the meeting room, where they dumped her onto the cold, tiled floor. The young 24 year old brunette stood up from the floor, and said in outrage, "What on earth do you think you're doing? I demand an exclamation for this rude endeavor!" Her eyebrows scrunched together as she attempted to stare the experiments down. She had never liked the erasers in the first place..

"Ah," said a voice from the back of the room. "So nice for you to have joined us, Mrs. Meyer."

Jen whirled around to face a woman sitting behind a large, professional looking desk. Her boss. On a wooden panel sitting on the desk was plaque reading 'THE DIRECTOR.'

Jen groaned inwardly. So she was finally going to meet the famous director. Joy. She plastered a fake smile on her face as she asked,

"Ms. Janssen, to what do I owe this pleasure?"

Marian Janssen merely looked at Jennifer with distaste. "I was going to ask you the very same question," She replied with malice. She nodded to one of the scientists standing behind her desk, and they turned off the office lights and turned on a hidden projector.

Jen gasped. There, on one of the slides, was a picture of her baby, her Annie. _What is this? Do they know? _She thought.

Marian stood studying Jennifer, scrutinizing her face. She had noticed the gasp. "So, Mrs. Meyer, I have quite a few questions for you, which revolve around a certain experiment that escaped several years ago. An experiment that was lost mysteriously under your watch."

Jen stood her ground. She had to lie. She had to protect Annie. But, she knew where this was going. They _knew. _They knew that she herself had let Annie free.

"I do remember that experiment," She began. "It was quite unusual. It had mutated healing powers, if I recall correctly…"

"Yes, she did," Marian snapped. "A mutation that took over _seven decades_ to transfuse!" She looked at Jen with hatred in her eyes. "Mrs. Meyer, I am tired of your lies. You aren't cut out for this kind of work. I know for a fact that you were an accomplice of this experiment, and helped her escape. I am not am imbecile."

Jen looked aghast. She had been found out. She was no help to Annie, now. She was going to be persecuted, or worse…

Large, strong hands wrapped around Jen's upper arms, and she realized with dread that the new erasers were back in the room. She shot a death stare at the director as she was dragged away, to who knows where….

~*~*~*~*~

Marian Janssen watched as the traitor was drug away. She felt no pity, no remorse for the woman. She was going to be sorry for helping the experiment escape, she was determined of that.

Now, back to business.

After a hurried call, a man in a white coat arrived in her office with several documents in a folder. "Dr. Darwin," She nodded as the man walked in.

"Ms. Janssen," he nodded back at her.

Marian cut straight to point. "Mr. Darwin, I have several inquiries of you involving experiment 103."

Darwin's face looked confused as he searched his memory.

"The healing one? I thought she escaped years ago?"

Marian was grim. "She did. But I've been keeping tabs on her, though."

"How so?" The doctor inquired.

In response, the director pulled the folder out of the man's hands, and thumbed through the files. After finding what she was searching for, she held it up for the man to see. He scanned the paper quickly. Then, he gasped.

"As you can see, she is…special. Whenever she heals someone, it leaves a trace. She is very easily traceable through this."

"But, Ma'am, it says here that she has a chip in her brain?" Darwin interrupted, confused. He pointed to the bottom of the paper, where a series of X-rays were shown of a small chip located just above the specimen's temple.

"Ah, yes. She is very traceable in that sense, as well. The chip calculates when she last healed a person, and a GPS alerts me where she is on the map. For example, it shows in my reports that she last used her powers in this very building, at approximately 10:32 p.m. EDT. She used it to heal Maximum Ride, the other human-avian hybrid that we had in the pain isolation tank. Experiment 103 helped her escape, as well as the rest of Maximum's flock." Marian explained.

Marian went on, "However, that is not quite _all _that the chip can do," the Director replied.

"What else?" Dr. Darwin inquired, holding his clipboard to his chest.

Marian Janssen smiled, a smile larger than one she'd smiled in a _long _time. It was a scary effect. Even Darwin flinched a little, his mustache trembling slightly.

"I have the power to control her mind."

**______________________________ ____________________**

**A/N: Dun-Dun-Dun. So, what do you think? Was it good? Did you not like it? Tell me what you think by pressing that oh-so-pretty review button at the bottom of your screen!**

**P.S. A HUGE thanks to all of you who have read and reviewed this story. You really do rock my world, and make my day a bit brighter!**

**P.P.S. Please, review? It really helps me get motivated. Don't forget to throw me any ideas of things that you think would be interesting for the story, too. Like I said, I'm just wingin' it. **

**P.P.P.S. What exactly does having a beta writer entitle? I'm curious as to whether it would help me write my story.**

**Thanks for taking the time to read this,**

**-Soccerislife14**


	18. Trust

**A/N: I'm so, so sorry. I'm ashamed to say that I haven't updated this story in about a month…I'm writing this at 11:48 at night, ha. I've been working on my brand-new story called "Just Emma," and I think all you Iggy lovers will like it. Hopefully. Ha. Can you please take a look at it? Please?**

**Anywho, enough rambling. **

**Disclaimer: ****I don't own Maximum Ride or any of it's characters. Only James Patterson is capable of that kind of genius. **

**_________________________ __________________**

**Max P.O.V.**

"So, do you trust her?" Fang whispered to me once the rest of the Flock and Annie had gone to bed. We were sleeping in the trees again, in another handy state park.

Me and Fang were leaning against opposite facing branches, his slightly above mine. I was exhausted, but I couldn't get to sleep. Angel and Gazzy and total were all huddled together on a really large branch, keeping warm. Nudge was laying on her back, snoring loudly. Iggy was just below Nudge, sleeping peacefully with his mouth slightly open. Annie was near him, and, without realizing it, had fallen asleep on his shoulder.

Annie and Iggy got along really well. Seriously, I've never seen Iggy act like this before. Either he has been reading _Romeo and Juliet _behind my back (not likely), or he's really in love. It's kind of disturbing, considering he's only known her for three days.

I frowned in thought, studying Annie. "She seems okay. I don't think she's evil or anything. That I know of."

Fang looked down at me from his branch, his eyes as dark as the night around us. He looked troubled. "What is it?" I asked.

Fang lowered his voice, and looked over at Annie. "I don't know, Max. I know she's nice and everything, but I get this feeling about her…That she's hiding something. Something bad."

Funny. I sort of get that feeling around her, too. "Maybe we just need to get to know her a bit better, that's all."

Fang nodded, but I don't think that he was convinced. I reached up to lace my hand in his to let him know that it'd be okay. He flashed me one of his quick, rare smiles. My cheeks reddened.

Yeah, you heard me. I, Maximum Ride, blushed. Go figure.

I sat up and switly kissed Fang on the cheek, before I lost my nerve. I whispered, "G'night Fang," and then leaned over on my branch.

"G'night, Max," Fang whispered, and I could hear the subtle smile in his voice.

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**A/N: So, what do think? Was it good? Need some work? I hope you liked my miniscule Fax in there. And I apologize for the shorter-than-usual chapter. The next chapter will be a lot more action packed, and Annie will have quite a few things going on…**

**P.S. A HUGE thanks to all of you wonderful people who've reviewed my story. You have no idea how much it means to me that you like my story. **

**P.P.S. Be sure to check out my best friend's story for twilight, called, "Half-Moon." She's under my Favorite Author's list, and her name is softballlover21. It's really, really good.**

**P.P.P.S. Review?**

**Yours,**

**-soccerislife14**


	19. Iggy

**I updated much quicker this time! I hope you liked the last chapter, and I promise that this chapter is at least 4 times longer. And, I didn't get to the big action scene in this chapter, but it will be in the next one, don't worry.**

**Disclaimer:** **I don't own Maximum Ride or any of it's characters. Only James Patterson is capable of that type of genius.**

**So, without further adieu, here's chapter 19 of "Just Max"!**

______________________________ _________________

**Annie P.O.V.**

I woke up really early, but I didn't open my eyes. I didn't sleep very well at all, and I kept having nightmares about Jen. I kept waking up, writhing, and thinking that she was in trouble. _But that's absurd, _I thought. _She's been undercover for years. How would she be found out now? She knows what she's doing._

I realized that I was really stiff. Yawning, I opened my eyes, and gently raised my head.

And I blushed.

I had fallen asleep on Iggy's shoulder, without even realizing it. Oh no, he probably thought I was stupid..

But he's been so nice to me since I came three days ago. He'd insisted that I stay with the flock for a few days, and had even helped to convince Max to let me stay…So that means he must think that I'm alright…right?

Gently, I lifted myself away from Iggy, trying not to disturb him, and went to the branch just to the side of him and sat back down. There. Maybe he wouldn't notice that he had been my pillow last night –

"Nice try," Iggy whispered, opening his eyes, and grinning.

Darn it.

"What do you mean?"

He rolled his eyes jokingly and said innocently, "Was I a good pillow?" My cheeks flamed red, and I thanked my rare lucky stars that Iggy couldn't see them.

"Erm...I'm sorry about that. I didn't mean to fall asleep on you. I was more tired than I thought," I stuttered, pushing my hair behind my ear and staring intently at the ground 75 feet below me.

Iggy laughed mischievously, and said, "Oh, _I _don't mind. You know, I can't keep the ladies at bay."

"Sure," I said sarcastically. I rolled my eyes. "I'm rolling my eyes, Iggy."

Iggy laughed, and moved with unnerving skill for a blind person down to my branch, beside me.

"How do you do that?" I asked curiously.

"Do what?"

"You know. Know where people are so easily. If I didn't know any better, I wouldn't believe that you were blind. You work so well with all of your other senses…" I said shyly.

Iggy thought for a moment. "I don't know, exactly. Even though I can't see you, I know that you're there from where your voice is coming from. It's like echolocation, I guess. I hear the sound, and then it carries back to me, so I know how far away things are," He explained.

I nodded, thinking. "I'm nodding my head, Ig."

He laughed. "That's the downside. People have to tell me their facial expressions."

I laughed.

There was a kind of uncomfortable silence. I looked over at Iggy, who was looking in my general direction. His sightless blue eyes were reminded me of something…Hmm…the ocean. Yes, the ocean. I have been to the ocean only a few times in my life, but his looked just like it. They were beautiful.

The wind blew, and then a cascade of new fallen leaves landed on our heads. They took me by surprise, and I let out a little yelp. Iggy heard it, and he laughed. "It's only leaves, Annie."

"Yeah, I got that _now,"_ I laughed, and tried to get all of them out of my long hair. Iggy had gotten all of his off, but there was still one on his head. He looked like a unicorn. I tried to hold back my laugh behind my hand. It didn't work.

"What?" Iggy asked, frowning.

I said, while laughing, "You look like a unicorn."

"Well, that's a new one. I'm used to 'Mutant-freak,' 'Pyromaniac,' and 'White Knight,' so this is refreshing."

I rolled my eyes. "I'm –"

"Wait, let me guess! You're rolling your eyes?"

"Nicely done."

I sat in thought for a moment. "Iggy?"

He turned his head closer to me. "Yeah?

"I wonder – " I began, but then a splintering pain exploded behind my eyes, and I yelled out in surprise. I fell back, and hit my head on the tree trunk. That added to my already pounding head.

I heard Iggy yell, "Annie!" and I felt someone's arms around me. Then, everything was gone.

____________________________________ ___________

**Third Person P.O.V.**

Marian Janssen sat down at her desk and observed the screen in her office, showing the progress of the chip in the specimen's brain.

Dr. Darwin entered the room, and came up to The Director. "What is our status, Doctor?" Ms. Janssen asked the man eagerly.

After studying the screen and the papers on his clipboards, Dr. Darwin stated confidently, "The chip is being activated as we speak."

Marian Janssen smiled evilly, and went back to looking at the screen. "Excellent."

_______________________________ ________________

**A/N: So, what did you think? I'm sorry for the cliff-hanger, but I couldn't resist. They're fun to write, even though I hate them. Tell me if you liked this chapter by pressing that oh-so-pretty review button at the bottom of your screen!**

**P.S. Again, thanks to all of you who reviewed! I decided that for the next chapter, I'm going to wait and see how many reviews I get for this before I post it. Really, the reviews help. More than you would know. I got the whole inspiration for the last three chapters from reviews that you all sent in. **

**P.P.S. Again,a big thanks to all of you reviewers and readers. You really do make my day a little bit brighter. :D**

**Yours,**

**-Soccerislife14**


	20. Voice

**A/N: Hey, you all. I'm so, so, so sorry that It's been so long since I've updated. I've been procrastinating, and I apologize. It's been a mixture of school work, soccer practice, reading, writer's block, and working on my other story. Please forgive me. **

**I now present to you chapter Twenty of "Just Max!"**

**Disclaimer: ****I don't own Maximum Ride or any of it's characters. That's J.P. But I do own Annie. **

**____________________________________ _______**

**Annie's P.O.V.**

As I was under the waters of unconsciousness, I didn't feel…myself.

Of course, I knew I was me. That hadn't changed. But something was off. I didn't know what. All that I knew was that my head felt like it was going to implode, and there was nothing I could do about it.

Except lie here and endure it.

I think I screamed. Probably multiple times. I thrashed and struggled against unknown hands, grasping at my head. I heard voices around me, yelling my name, trying to soothe me. But I couldn't be soothed.

For the first time in my life, I wanted to die. I wanted this pain to end. I didn't think I could take it anymore. I couldn't fight it, couldn't throw it off…and it's kind of hard to fight something that's inside your body.

I felt a strong pair of arms around me, and that took my mind off the pain for a while. I concentrated on the slight movements of my body, trying to calm myself down. Eventually, I knew I was lying limp, seemingly lifeless.

I let out a small moan.

"Annie?" I heard a little girl's voice ask, scared. Angel.

With great difficulty, I opened my eyes a squint.

Angel was close in front of me, her eyes scared and concerned. Nudge and The Gasman, along with Total, were sitting down a little ways off, talking in hushed voices. Max was right beside Angel, concern and pity etched on her face. Fang, silent as ever, was backed away about 10 feet away behind Max, studying me with an impassive face. I felt the arms around me, and knew without having to check that they belonged to Iggy.

"Yes?" I croaked, opening my eyes more, wincing with the pain in my head.

"Are you okay?" Angel asked, her bright blue eyes wide.

"I'm not sure," I answered truthfully. "My head…"

Max turned around to glance at Fang, and something private passed between them. "You had a brain attack," she guessed.

"A what?"

Her face turned grim. "I've had some before," she made a face, remembering. "Did your head basically feel like it was splitting open?"

I nodded, not liking where this was going.

"And why would I have one?"

Max glanced at Fang again. "Well…it would most likely mean that…well, you probably have a chip, too."

_Intelligent guess._

I nearly yelped in surprise. Not because I had just learned that I had a chip in my head.

But because _I _hadn't thought that.

_Very good, Annie. You're catching on._

My eyes went wide.

"Uh-oh," Angel said. "Uh, Max…"

But I didn't hear the rest. Because then my head exploded again, and everything went black. But I could have sworn I heard the Voice laughing.

___________________________________ ____________

**A/N: So, how was it? I know that it's very short, but I have writers block. This is as much as I could think of. Any ideas? They would be greatly appreciated!**

**P.S. Thanks to all of you wonderful, amazing people who've been reading and reviewing my stories! You all really do rock my world. Thank you, from the bottom of my heart. Really.**

**I'll try to update sooner next time. Once I get over this accursed writer's block..grr…**

**P.P.S. Review? They make me want to update so much faster!**

**Yours,**

**-soccerislife14**


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